The USS Lucid is very similar to the ship on which I called home from 1981 to 1985.

On the other hand, my residence was not quite a plushy. I lived at: USS Pluck MSO 464, rack number 2, compartment 1-14-0-L.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A group of very special and dedicated sailors and friends of sailors are working to restore the USS Lucid as a museum ship. Her home will be the historic Stockton waterfront, not far from the old Colberg boatworks, where similar minesweepers were built in the 1950's. Sadly, she did not stay in the condition depicted in the album. Much work has been done on this project, and much more is needed. Your help in making this happen would be very much appreciated, even a small donation. Click here for more information.

POST script:It is mighty intriguing to think that photographs of the USS Lucid were taken during the same time that my ship was testing the PINS (Precise Integrated Navigation System, a minesweepiong navigation system devloped and tested by the USS Pluck in the mid 80's for the minesweepers now in service) in the bay area. We went up and down the entire bay, over and over, for days on end, all the while passing this historical ship, only one of two to escape being shredded in the scrapyard. Speaking of which, here are more photos in the MareIsland facility awaiting such a fate-USS Constant* and USS Excel.

*Constant was our sister ship during the period when we were attached to Mine Division five four.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

This photo shows the USS Pledge MSO 492 outboard of the USS Implicit MSO 455 tied up with the Pluck and another sweep, not in the picture. I took this photo sometime in 1983-84, I believe near the Admiral Kidd club at Shelter island, San Diego Ca.

If you fancy looking at LARGE clear photographs of minesweepers, Chuck Lees has what I believe is the BEST personal MSO website in the web. He sure took a ton of photos during his service, something I regret not doing. Click on the patch below for a visit to his site.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Dan Rodriguez, Pete Baker, and Tommy Delos Santos and I all pitched in together to rent a car, so we could go down to Pacific beach- SanDiego for the 4th of July, 1982. Ernie and I lost the group after a long day of drinking beer, and called the ship's truck to come and pick us up, but they said no way, too many people down there. So we walked back to the ship. The catch... Our shoes were in the rental car.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

This picture was posted on the door of the CIC (Combat Information Center) of the USS Pluck, MSO464 with the caption"Magnetic material control is everybody's business".

In this official U.S. Navy photograph, Republic of Korea minesweeper YMS-516 is blown up by a magnetic mine, during sweeping operations west of Kalma Pando, Wonsan harbor, on 18 October 1950. This ship was originally the U.S. Navy's YMS-148, which had served in the British Navy in 1943-46.

USS Lucid News

Set Condition One Mike

Set Condition One Mike is dedicated to the IRON MEN who served aboard USS Pluck MSO 464

Condition One Mike

"Condition One Mike" (Cond1 M) is a special type of General quarters aboard Ocean Going Minesweepers. The ship is at full alert and all battle stations are manned. The crew is deployed about the weather decks, the only persons left inside the skin of the ship being the helmsman and lee helmsmen. Bed mattresses are placed on the overhead of the pilot house for the benefit of those two crewmen in the event of a mine detonation too close to the ship. The deck crew is stationed on the fantail and tasked with deploying and recovering the sweep gear. This is hazardous duty, a mixture of some of the same hazards found on flight decks, with wires under high tension and sailors working in very close proximity to such wires, explosive cutter cartridges which have to be armed one at a time as they are set out and disarmed before being brought back on board , often by a Boatswain's mate or Gunner's mate hanging over the very ass end by a safety harness. They are armed and disarmed with a small cotter pin similar to a hand grenade. The whole scene is very similar to the modern TV show "Deadliest catch", but the crab pods are mine sweeping devices, and the "catch" are big round and cylindrical BOMBS capable of sinking an aircraft carrier.

Magnetic Material Control is Everybody's Business

Sign on the door of the combat information center aboard the USS Pluck MSO 464

Gally Watch Captain

Monterey bay California 1982

About Me

I was a gally watch captain, ship's baker, and jack of the dust aboard USS Pluck, MSO 464,between December 1981 and August 1985 and these are reflections of what I remember during the 4 years I served aboard the best minesweeper in the fleet. She is gone now, but the memories are still as raw as the smell of freshly stirred bilge gas mixing with stack fumes as we hit the first swell at Point Loma and I still go there in my sleep.